1996 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco

Still unreleased (the 1994 has just been launched and this will be sold in 2016), the 1996 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva is a wine crafted to show the longevity of the wines produced with the grapes from the Tondonia vineyard in Haro. It follows the same path as the other Grandes Reservas, being a blend of grapes (mostly Viura and some 10% Malvasía Riojana) and up to 15% of wine from other vintages used to refill the barrels during the extended ten-year aging. This is more subtle, less expressive than the 1994, and is also lighter and in need of bottle age to develop more complexity. Still, I don't think it will get to the same level as the 1994. The 1996 harvest was a bit shorter, and 6,451 bottles were produced.